Alabama

Bob Baumhower talks football favorite - chicken wings

View full sizeBaumhower with chicken wings in front of his Orange Beach restaurant (John David Mercer/Coastal Alabama)

By David Holloway

Consider for a moment the chicken, or more precisely, the chicken wing.
The wings of a chicken are an almost useless appendage - to the chicken anyhow. They do little more than allow for very short flights and may add a bit of balance to the top-heavy creatures. In short, they don't do the chickens much good.
But for an entire subset of American diners, chicken wings are the bedrock of a spicy culinary experience that just happens to be linked with another rock-solid American passion - football.
History is silent as to exactly how the chicken wing became so indelibly linked with the game of American football. But I challenge you to attend a gathering of sports fans where football is the subject of the party and not find some chicken wings in the mix.Bob Baumhower is a self-styled expert on the chicken wing and any discussion with the gentle giant on the subject is an eye-opening experience. It would be difficult to find a more authoritative voice on the topic of football and wings than Baumhower.
As a matter of fact, he boasts of being the first person to offer the tasty appendages for sale in Alabama, a fact that's hard to verify but tantalizing nevertheless.
Baumhower, as many doubtlessly know, played football for "Bear" Bryant at the University of Alabama before becoming an all-pro lineman for the Miami Dolphins.
He opened up his first restaurant, Wings and Things, in Tuscaloosa in 1981 specializing in what, at the time, was an unusual appetizer offering. It was slow going at first.
"When I came back to Alabama, I had to almost give them away for the first two years," he said. "People thought I was crazy for selling wings in a restaurant."
Today, however, Baumhower said the chicken wing is by far the most popular appetizer in the nation. And not just for sports bars, either. In fact, they are so popular that Baumhower said they are becoming more expensive and harder to find.
"We pay more for chicken wings than we do for boneless, skinless chicken breasts," Baumhower said.
It's pretty easy to see why they are so incredibly popular with the sports-watching crowd. You can eat them with one hand, leaving the other free to hold a (ahem) beverage. Likewise they are spicy, which also facilitates consumption of more (ahem) beverages.
As with so many other things, there are a number of ways to fix chicken wings, but arguably the most common is Buffalo-style. Contrary to popular belief, buffalo are completely devoid of wings and if they did sport wings, they would be too big and too tough to cook.
No, Buffalo-style chicken wings refer to the city in upstate New York of the same name. The Anchor Bar and Grill in that fair city is widely credited as the first restaurant to serve this type of wing, but now the dish is available at just about any bar or grill where a television is tuned to a football game.
Baumhower said that the Buffalo-style wings are a favorite among patrons at any of his restaurants, which include Baumhower's Restaurant, the Compleat Angler and the appropriately titled Wings U.
"Buffalo, by far, is still the number one, but more and more people are getting adventurous," he said.
The Jamaican jerk version is growing in popularity, along with traditional barbecue and honey barbecue.
As for the cooking, that's fairly simple. The wings are fried quickly and then doused with a heavy coating of hot sauce that has been mixed with butter or margarine. You control the heat of the wings by adding more butter or margarine.
However, it's not that simple for Baumhower. (I said he's studied wings, didn't I?)
He cooks them in stages using four different fryers - two minutes in the first three and one minute in the last one.
The theory is simple. The cold wings will cool down the oil. But, by moving them into subsequent fryers right away, the oil remains at a fairly constant temperature. The result is crisp, not soggy, wings.
As for the heat-producing element, Baumhower said he's pretty much a purist in that regard. He prefers the rich, dense flavor profile offered by the granddaddy of all wing sauces - Frank's. "We make our own sauce but it's very close to Frank's," Baumhower said.
Wings are generally served with a creamy dip of some sort to put out the fire. Traditionalists prefer one of two dressings, either Ranch or blue cheese dressing. "In our restaurants, our house-made Ranch dressing is number one, but back in the day it was strictly blue cheese," Baumhower said.
Add a few celery sticks for some crunch and all you need is a game to watch to make it a party.
If, like so many of us of a certain age, you have a recent aversion to anything fried, you can bake or grill them.
In fact, I sort of prefer them cooked on the old Weber. Just be careful you don't burn them because wings have a lot of fat, especially if you leave the skin on (and why would you not?).
So the secret to great wings is not over-thinking the situation or trying to reinvent the chicken-style wheel. Maybe that's why wings are so popular - they are universal and unchanged. Either way, I'm ready for some wings and some football.

Directions:Deep-fry wings at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until cooked and crispy; drain. In large bowl, combine Frank's Red Hot Sauce and butter. Toss wings in sauce to coat completely. If desired, serve with blue cheese salad dressing and celery sticks.

Note: For a healthier alternative to frying, you can also bake your wings for one hour at 425 degrees or until fully cooked and crispy, turning halfway. Or, you can broil them, 6 inches away from heat, for 15-20 minutes, turning once. Better yet, you can toss them on the Weber for the best of both worlds. Grill over medium heat 30-40 minutes, turning often.